Mike and Sandy Rozendaal and Michelle and Jason Van Zante in Hungary.

A streetscape in Eger, Hungary.

Another couple, Mike and Sandy Rozendaal, joined my wife, Michelle, and me for a tour of Eastern Europe.

But before we joined our bus tour for stops in Budapest, Vienna, Cesky Krumlov and Prague, we decided to fly in a day early and visit Eger, Hungary, before meeting the rest of the tour group.

Eger is an ancient town of approximately 56,000 people that was founded about 1050. It features narrow cobblestone streets with lots of shops and a wonderful town square surrounded by churches and monuments. Most of the streets in the center of town are too narrow for cars, so it has a medieval feel and is great for strolling around.

We saw the University Library, Eger Cathedral, Eger Castle, the town square and the Turkish Minaret. Hungary was often invaded and ruled by the Muslim Turks, so there are still some Turkish influences.

Our tour guide, Zoltan, then drove us a few minutes outside of town to “The Beautiful Women's Valley” for wine tasting. Eger is the capital of Hungary's wine region. The people of Eger often built little forts or caves into the hillsides to defend themselves against invaders. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction where a cluster of about 100 caves have been converted into wine cellars. Local winemakers age and sell their wines from the uniquely decorated cellars — often offering free or cheap samples to reel you in. Some of the wine is poured directly from the barrel.

We ended the day by visiting a Turkish bath, which was originally built in the 1700s. It’s one of the remnants of Turkish influence. Eger and much of Hungary lies on top of thermal springs, so spas and thermal baths are very popular. There were various steam baths, saunas and whirlpools. It was very relaxing after a long flight and a big day of sight-seeing.

Our hotel was a small bed and breakfast type place situated on the town square. We had dinner at the attached restaurant where we ate goulash and other Hungarian dishes. Authentic Hungarian goulash is a red soup seasoned with paprika and served in a bowl with beef, onions, potatoes and noodles.

The next morning we walked around the streets of Eger and did some shopping and more exploring before taking the train to Budapest. Most of the sights can be reached in five minutes by foot from the center of town. A taxi to the train station or the wine cellars will only cost about $7. We were really glad we took the extra day to visit Eger. It is a beautiful town with a lot of history and intriguing sights.